Children’s Mental Health: Facts for Policymakers

Mental health is a key component in a child’s healthy development. Children need to be healthy in order to learn, grow, and lead productive lives. There are effective treatments, services, and supports that can help children and youth with mental health problems and those at risk to thrive and live successfully. Most children and youth in need of mental health services do not receive them.

This brief outlines the spread of mental health problems, the lack of awareness and treatment in children of different ethnic groups and effective strategies to enhance mental health awareness, including family engagement.